Control is Overrated
by Amber Komasaki
Summary: There's a new endowed girl at Bloor's academy, and her gift is something that could be useful to the Bloors...who will recruit her first?...relationships, new plot thickeners, and Charlie's natural need to help people. Please review!
1. Prelude: A regular Monday

Charlie Bone woke up, his hair a mess as usual. It was a little bit into the second year at Bloor's, and he'd only just nearly gotten over the whole 'Castle of Mirrors' incident. Or that was what he continued to tell people.

_I really thought it was my father, even against all evidence…_ he thought numbly, laying in bed a few moments before actually rousing.

Finally, he sat up and got dressed in his school clothes, tucking his cape into his trunk as not to have to wear it on the way to the bus. He was running late, this morning, especially not looking forward to seeing Manfred when he actually arrived at school, and dreading what would happen in the room where the 'children' of the Red King studied together.

And after he'd had such a nice afternoon with all his friends the day before, at Pets' Café. Oh, well, he'd just have to try not to be too excited about the next weekend, or the week would go more and more slowly.

He ran downstairs and grabbed a piece of toast on his way out the door.

"Bye, mom! I'll see you Saturday!" he called as he passed his mother, and then he was gone.

He managed to just catch the bus; Fidelio had insisted on the driver waiting for a minute more. Charlie too a seat next to Fidelio set his bag at his feet.

"Its going to be a long, hard week…" he mumbled to his friend, closing his eyes and leaning back against the bus seat, "I just know it…and the Red King's room is going to be pure torture…"

Fidelio shrugged optimistically, "On the bright side, Tancred is back to normal and Olivia isn't in denial of her endowment," he whispered the last part so as not to be overheard. Fidelio knew that Olivia's endowment was a secret.

When they finally arrived at Bloor's Academy, Charlie got off the bus, dragging his trunk tiredly behind him. He accidentally ran into a pretty, blonde girl wearing a blue cape, and she fell over backwards. He wondered why he hadn't seen her before. She was in his department, after all.

"Sorry, it was only an accident!" he exclaimed, offering a hand to help her up.

She took it and got up, replying, "Its alright, it was my fault anyway. I'm just a bit clumsy," she giggled and continued on her way, as if it had never happened.

Charlie shrugged and went his own way, finding Olivia as he did so. She was wearing her purple cape and her hair was a delicate shade of auburn, more red than brown. This instantly reminded him to don his own cape. He did so and called to her.

"Hey, Olivia!" he did this as quietly as he could, since talking in the halls was forbidden.

She smiled and grabbed Emma Tolly, who happened to be next to her, and dragged the girl over with her.

"Charlie, what a surprise! Imagine seeing you here," Olivia whispered and laughed quietly.

"How are you?" Emma asked politely, giving her head a tilt.

Charlie nodded and replied, "I'm fine, just a little tired. I overslept again, too. I think my alarm is broken…"

The three walked along together until their first classes, which were separate, started. Charlie headed off by himself, still wondering in the corner of his mind, who the blonde girl was. He thought maybe he'd seen her somewhere before, but it wasn't probable.


	2. Overture: The New Girl

((Hey sorry this isn't great, I'm going to edit it and then update it so that its better with description and stuff. Hope you all enjoy, please review!))

Charlie arrived in the Red King's room after sitting through the rest of his classes. His day hadn't improved and he felt like just taking a long nap and skipping the rest of the day. But that would just earn him lines or something worse…

He took a seat between Emma and Tancred, who had Lysander on his other side. Gabriel was on Emma's other side. The four were now outnumbered by the endowed children on the Bloor side, with Billy Raven gone and all. They weren't sure what was going to happen, but it couldn't be good.

Joshua Tilpin was smiling around the room at anyone who caught his eye (Tancred was looking pointedly away), The two twins were staring down at their work but things happened to keep floating up and hitting Charlie (they were never there when he looked up), Asa Pike was glaring menacingly at everyone (especially Charlie), and Manfred wasn't in the room yet.

"I wonder where Manfred went…" Charlie mumbled quietly to Emma, curiosity abounding.

She shrugged. They all looked up as Manfred came in with the blonde girl Charlie had run into earlier.

"Listen up," Manfred said loudly to get their attention. When he had it, he continued, "This Is Terranova Darkwood, and she will be joining us from now on. She's endowed also, in case any of you nitwits were going to ask."

She was fairly tall with a long curtain of blonde hair and emerald eyes that sparkled in the overhead lights. She was thin, maybe too thin, and dressed in a cute top with some jeans under her cape. She smiled at each of them in turn and curtsied politely.

"it's a pleasure to meet all of you, please call me Terra" she said quietly, sweeping her blonde hair over her shoulders, "I'm sure we'll all get along wonderfully."

Charlie noticed that Manfred was actually paying attention to the girl. If anyone else had tried talking about themselves or stating a nickname, they would've been told to shut up or sit down, or both. Maybe Manfred liked her…

He turned to Emma, who shrugged, and Tancred, who was grinning dauntingly (a cool breeze blew about the room). Lysander he couldn't see, but figured he had a similar reaction to Olivia's. Gabriel he could see and was looking happy but confused. Asa had no reaction, really, Dorcas wasn't paying attention or was trying hard to pretend she wasn't, Joshua was smiling like always, and most of the reactions were normal for a new student.

"Here," Manfred said, moving over to Lysander, who was seated between Tancred and Joshua, "why don't you move, Sage," he said, motioning Lysander to move, "and you can sit down, Terra."

Terra looked a bit unsure but took the seat when Lysander got unresponsively and moved between Dorcas and Gabriel. She looked at Tancred, who smiled and mouthed, when Manfred wasn't looking on anymore, "Manfred's a jerk, trust me. You'll get used to it." His hair crackled with static electricity and the wind blew through again. He blushed lightly.

She giggled and turned to Joshua hesitantly. He smiled at her. She smiled back and it was a smile-off for a moment, before hers turned to an icy glare.

"Hey, your little magnetism thing doesn't work on me," she hissed, so don't try it, Kay?" she then smiled sweetly and turned back to Tancred. He laughed at the expression on Joshua's face.

So, somehow she was immune to Joshua's magnetism…Charlie wondered how.

"Shut up, Torsson, and get back to work!" Manfred yelled at Tancred, who was still laughing, and he did.

Charlie thought about it and decided it seemed like she was on their side… for the time being, anyways. Perhaps, though, things were not as they seemed…


	3. Sonata: Getting to Know Each Other

The rest of the time in the Red King's room went by quietly, for Charlie anyways. The two telekinetic twins continued their earlier activities of hitting people with things, only now making their target Emma. Tancred didn't really have anything he felt he could do, since he was fairly tired and about falling asleep. Lysander didn't want to call his ancestors in the small room for fear of others getting hurt, too. Poor Gabriel was just plain helpless when it came to a fight.

Manfred watched them all carefully, making sure they were doing their work, and let them go grudgingly when their time was done. He made a point of approaching the new girl before she left. Charlie, Emma and Gabriel were the only ones left in the room aside from Asa.

"Terre, I'm sure you'll enjoy Bloor's," Manfred said, grinning at her in a way that would've made Charlie cringe if it had been him, "and I'd just like to let you know to ask me if you need anything, or if anyone bothers you. That Charlie Bone and his friends are trouble…"

Terra smiled back politely and said in reply, "Thank you very much, sir. I shall be careful of who I associate with," and left swiftly.

Manfred remained in the room as Charlie and the others filed out. Emma gave Charlie a look that showed her uncertainty of the new girl, now. Perhaps she was a spy for the Bloor family? That would be a disaster. They had already gone through the spy situation with Billy Raven, and Charlie was in no mood to do it again.

They noticed the new girl was still standing outside the room, near them. Charlie thought it odd and decided it couldn't hurt to talk to her. Maybe she was pretending to like Manfred, after all.

"Hello, Terra, is it?" He said in a friendly tone, "my name is Charlie Bone, its nice to meet you. Is there anything you need help with?"

She looked relieved and replied, "Yes, its Terra. It's a pleasure to meet you, Charlie. I've heard of you," then she looked thoughtful and added, "I don't know where the hall is for eating…"

Charlie laughed and said, "Oh, that's alright! I'll get take you there, no problem!" he then chose to add, "I've got a blue cape, as well. We're both in music, so we'll sit at the same table. You can sit with me and my friend Fidelio."

She looked grateful and followed him over to Emma, who still seemed hesitant to be friendly. Terra made a polite curtsy, as she had done in the Red King's room. Emma finally came around, somewhat, and curtsied back.

"My name is Emma Tolly. It's good to meet you, Terra."

Terra nodded and replied, "Same here, Emma. I think we'll get along fine."

Charlie hoped she was right, and the three of them headed to the cafeteria, where they would have an unappetizing Bloor's lunch.

They arrived and Terra took a seat across from Fidelio and Charlie. She seemed to be quite comfortable being around people she didn't know, because she didn't look the least bit nervous or afraid of making a bad impression. Charlie would've even gone as far as to say that she had an attitude like Olivia's.

"So, Charlie," she said conversationally, "what's your 'endowment', since everyone in that room had one? And what can the others do?"

Charlie thought for a moment and decided it couldn't hurt to indulge her curiosity. He pictured everyone in the Red King's room clearly and began.

"I can hear and visit people in photographs, Joshua is a human magnet-"

"I don't like him," Terra interjected. Charlie ignored her and continued, trying not to laugh at her comments with each one.

"Lysander calls his ancestors to help him-" Charlie began.

"Are they zombies?" Terra asked curiously.

"No, they're spirits. Billy Raven can talk to animals-" Charlie continued.

"Do the animals always feel like talking?" Terra questioned again.

"I don't know. Gabriel can feel emotions and things through people's clothes, and Dorcas Loom can bewitch clothes-" Charlie went on again, only to be interrupted.

"Wow, what a sucky gift…" Terra giggled.

Fidelio had to laugh at that one, "She has a point, though Dorcas can be pretty dangerous…"

"And what about the wonder twins?" Terra asked, frowning slightly.

Charlie snickered and replied, "Inez and Idith are telekinetic. They freak me out, truth be told…oh, and Tancred makes storms. He's got a temper, so don't make him mad."

Terra nodded, having taken it all in and then pushed away her tray, which looked as though it hadn't been touched, "Done." Charlie and Fidelio stared before Fidelio asked if he could have some of the rest since she didn't want it.

Charlie laughed and made a comment that Fidelio sounded like Tancred, eating anything he got his hands on.

"Well, Tanc can eat anything," Fidelio grinned, "I'd just like to know where he puts it all…"

Lunch came to an end and Charlie, Fidelio and Terra had to go their separate ways. Fidelio for music, Charlie for music also (trumpet practice), and Terra was apparently a singer. Fidelio suggested a duet or a trio and then disappeared around a corner.

Charlie bade Terra farewell and left also, thinking how pleasant she was. Then his thoughts went back to her and Manfred. Somehow, he still had a nagging thought that she wasn't on their side, but he shoved it away. She was nice, and he wasn't going to second-guess his first impression of her.

"Then again…" he thought, remembering Yolanda who pretended to be Beth, "I'll still have to be careful…I still don't know her endowment…"


	4. Intermezzo: Midnight Musings

Terra lay awake in her bed for a long time, that night, thinking about all the people she had met. The endowed children were really the highlight of her first day, with all the strange and amazing things they could do. She also enjoyed the company of Fidelio, who she found quite interesting for being un-endowed, and Olivia, who she had met later in the day.

The two had really hit it off, seeing as Olivia was in Drama and Terra sang, and those two things were very close in relation to each other. A musical was just drama with singing in it, after all. And Olivia wasn't too bad at singing, herself. They'd decided on having a duet sometime.

"That Emma Tolly, though…" she thought warily, "she really doesn't trust me…it must be hard knowing who to trust in this place…"

She glanced at the girls sleeping in her room. One of them stirred then ceased to move. They were all exhausted, and she could see why. Bloor's was going to be a tough place to survive in. Terra could handle it.

Tancred and Lysander were lying in beds across from each other, each with a book. Lysander had a Stephen King novel and Tancred had some comics since he'd finished the books he'd brought. Both were obviously not concentrating very hard on their read. They were both thinking about the new girl and how she might throw off the balance.

Lysander knew they weren't really concentrating, partially because he'd read the same sentence twelve times, and partially because Tancred had his book upside down.

"So, Tanc…what do you think of the new girl?" he asked tentatively.

Tancred gave a shrug, turned his book right side up hurriedly, and replied, "Well…she seems nice, possibly on our side…kind of pretty…" he blushed slightly, then threw a pillow at Lysander when the African boy began laughing, "I swear, if you repeat that, there'll be some nasty weather for you, 'Sander!"

Lysander reassured him that he wouldn't and went on, "Can you sense the shift in the balance?"

Tancred nodded and said, "Its possible that we could be balanced out…if Billy joins the Bloors'…" he shook his head sadly, "that poor boy…no parents and staying at Bloor's all through the year…I wish we'd been able to help him…"

Lysander nodded and said guiltily, "Its okay Tanc, we did the best we could…hey, for all we know, that new girl could have a talent that could help us save Billy!" he looked up excitedly.

Tancred shook his head, snickering and replied, "You're always so optimistic, 'Sander…" he sighed and then shoved his comics under the bed and rolled over, "I'm going to get some sleep, kay? Don't stay up too late thinking…it'll give you a headache…"

He yawned and was asleep within minutes. Lysander went to bed soon after, still thinking about how they could help Billy and what Terra's endowment was.


	5. Serenade: Secrets?

The next morning was very dull, and Charlie had to be dragged out of bed forcibly by Gabriel Silk, who had made an awesome recovery since the incident with wearing Mr. Pilgrim's cape. The smaller boy had some difficulty at first, but finally managed to pull Charlie off the side and onto the floor in a disgruntled heap.

It was all Charlie could do to go down to breakfast with him, since Billy was strangely absent from his bed. This disturbed Charlie, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly why it did so.

Upon arrival in the hall, they were met with the usual Bloor's slop that nobody cared much for. Charlie sat down by Gabriel and was startled when somebody tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to find Terra looking down at him.

"Good morning, Charlie," she said brightly, "and good morning, Gabriel! How are you two, today?"

Charlie stared dully back at her and wondered how anyone could possibly have so much energy that early in the morning, but replied sleepily, "Great, great…"

Gabriel grinned back and responded in a cheery tone, "Both doing splendidly, Terra, thanks for asking," he motioned her to sit down between them and asked politely, "and how are you, this morning?"

She smiled and said, "I am doing wonderfully, thanks. So, do we go to the Red King's room, today, also?"

Charlie nodded and said, "Yes, but don't get too excited. We still have to put up with Manfred and Asa bossing us around, and Inez and Idith hitting us with things…" he shook his head and sighed, "though, I suppose it could be worse…"

After breakfast, they went to their required classes, and Charlie managed to get through them without having too much trouble. As tired as he was, none of the teachers seemed to notice, because he was always sitting conveniently behind a larger student. This was very helpful, in the long run, as he didn't get detention for sleeping in class or for not paying attention.

When it was finally time to go to the Red King's room, Charlie was much more awake than he had been earlier, having gotten more than his share of sleep throughout the morning. He ran into Gabriel and Emma, and they walked to the room together.

Only three people were there when they arrived: Tancred, Lysander, and Terra sitting between the two. They seemed to be getting along alright, Tancred's normally spikey hair seeming to be more electrified than usual. Lysander also seemed to be more peppy, though maybe it was that Manfred wasn't in the room yet.

"Hey," Charlie greeted the three warmly, "what's up?"

"Afternoon, Charlie," Lysander said, grinning at him.

"Not much going on, here," Tancred shrugged, a gust of wind blowing through the room as he did so.

Terra giggled and poked amazedly at the stormy boy's hair, "Yeah, we're just discussing endowments. I am still astounded by Tancred's hair. How does it DO that?" she was obviously pretty easily amused.

Tancred didn't seem to mind much, though, as he was sitting patiently while she poked at his spikes and got a couple static shocks. Charlie had never really thought about it, but maybe Tancred was like him and just came to breakfast without toughing his hair. Maybe his hair was naturally that cool. He could see where Terra was coming from. On that note, he was reminded of something.

"Oh, Terra," he said quickly, before she could continue with their strange conversation, "you never told us, y'know, when you found out you were endowed…"

She gave him an odd look and said, curiously, "Didn't I? Well, I happen to have just found out. Now you know."

"But what can you do?"

Before she could answer, not that she looked as if she was going to, Manfred and Asa came in with Inez, Idith, Joshua, and Dorcas. Manfred didn't look in the mood to deal with anything, so Charlie didn't press Terra for an answer.

"Get in your seat, Bone. You as well, Emma, Gabriel," Manfred said coolly, his dark eyes menacing, "and not a peep out of any of you. Torsson, Sage, I expect you to follow that rule as well."

Charlie noticed that Terra's name was strangely absent from the list of those who would be quiet. He was strangely leery of finding out Terra's endowment, now. She didn't seem eager to share it, and nobody else seemed to know.

Maybe it was something dangerous. Or maybe she was hiding something…


	6. Duet: Plans For Saturday

By the end of the week, Charlie was thoroughly frustrated. Every time he'd been about to ask Terra about her endowment, every single time he thought he had her, she'd slip off and he'd be no closer to knowing than before. She was sly, this girl, and people acted strangely around her. That was for sure.

It was finally Friday, and he'd be able to go home and forget about what was going on at Bloor's…or at least he hoped so. Maisie would probably have all his favorites ready and he'd be able to eat them in peace; If Grandma Bone was hiding out in her room, anyways.

He thought about it and felt a twinge of sadness. Benjamin still wasn't back from Hong Kong, so he wouldn't be there to help Charlie much his way through Maisie's feast. This was a small downer, seeing as he'd have the whole weekend to be free from Bloor's. He and the others had already agreed to meet at Pet's Café on Saturday morning, so he wouldn't be lonely.

Charlie and Fielio were making their way to the bus when Charlie heard his name called. He turned to see Terra running after them, her blue cape blowing behind her in the wind. Her golden hair was a bit messy but, other than that, she looked as fabulous as usual.

"Hey, Charlie!" she called brightly, "Fidelio! Wait up, alright?"

The two boys stopped and turned to her, Fidelio looking almost flushed and Charlie wondering why she was suddenly not avoiding him anymore. He glanced in Fidelio's direction and frowned slightly, noticing his friend's odd behavior. Was it Terra or was it something else? And was Fidelio…blushing?

"Hello, Terra," he said in a friendly tone, "what's up?"

She shrugged and replied casually, "Well, I was just wondering what all of you do on weekends…seeing as I don't really have anyone to hang with, this weekend…" she looked a bit uncomfortable as she said this, her eyes dropping to the ground.

Charlie felt almost bad for suspecting her then shook his head. What on earth was it that made him feel differently when she was around? He sighed and said slowly, "Well, we all meet at Pet's Café, sometimes…we're going to tomorrow morning, if you want to come…I suppose you'll be needing directions?"

She shook her head happily and replied, "Nope, thank you for inviting me though. I'm sure I can find it without directions, I'll just get a map and I should be okay. See you two tomorrow!"

Charlie nodded, waved, and then pushed Fidelio into a seat on the bus with him. The other boy seemed not to be blushing anymore, and Charlie figured it wasn't really any of his business if his friend liked Terra…but if it was her endowment making Fidelio act that way…then why wasn't it affecting him, too? He sighed again and closed his eyes for a moment, leaning back in his seat. When he opened them, he saw Terra near the front of the bus, in a seat by herself. Another girl joined her shortly and the two looked to be talking. She certainly couldn't be that lonely, even if she was the new girl.


	7. Rhapsody: Sparks Fly

The next morning, Charlie got out of bed pretty early and went downstairs for a quick breakfast. Nobody was in the kitchen, aside from Maisie, which was unusual. He wrote it off as insignificant, figuring they were all in bed, which was definitely _extremely_ unusual for Grandma Bone. He shrugged and decided nothing could be done about it but asked Maisie anyways regarding everyone's strange absence.

"Um, where is everyone, this morning?" he asked curiously, shifting excitedly upon seeing the big breakfast Maisie had prepared for him.

She gave him a slight smile and replied, "I don't know where everyone is, so far. All I know is, the longer Grandma Bone stays in bed, the better," she flipped a large portion of pancakes onto Charlie's plate, "here, Charlie. Have some breakfast, you look half-starved."

Charlie ate quickly and thanked her gratefully. The pancakes had been delicious, as well as the sausages and the eggs. Maisie was brilliant in the kitchen.

He reached Pet's Café at about noon, thinking he had plenty of time to spare since everyone usually came at one or so. He found himself dreadfully wrong. Apparently, he wasn't the only one curious about the new girl and her secrets. He spotted Tancred easily, in a booth by the window sitting across from Terra and Lysander, and next to Gabriel.

"Hey, guys," Charlie said, as he took a seat by Gabriel, who squashed Tancred as far into the booth as possible to make room.

"Hello, Charlie," Lysander replied from across the table, "How are you, this fine morning?"

Charlie cocked his head to the side and gave a shrug, "I'm fine, had a very good rest last night. Haven't seen much of Grandma Bone, lately. She may be plotting something…"

Tancred shrugged and said arrogantly, "Its not like we haven't stopped her before. She's not so tough," his blonde hair bristled with electricity as he determinedly looked anywhere but at Terra.

If Gabriel or Lysander noticed this, they said nothing. In fact, Gabriel wasn't paying any attention at all to Tancred. He was playing with the gerbil he had brought. Charlie's thoughts snapped into place, and he was finally totally awake.

"Hey, I forgot about Runner Bean!" he exclaimed suddenly, "Norton didn't stop me at all! Wait, where's Norton?"

Gabriel turned from his gerbil-involved activity and replied, "The bouncer? Oh, he's out with a cold…poor guy, I hate it when I'm sick," he went back to playing with the gerbil.

Charlie gave a nod of acknowledgment and then stood up and went to look for Runner Bean, feeling bad to have forgotten the big dog. This left Tancred, Terra, and Lysander. Gabriel wasn't exactly all there, for the time being.

Lysander gave a low whistle and muttered, "Well, he certainly does like his gerbils, huh?" then he smiled broadly, knowing that he, himself, thoroughly enjoyed their company when needed.

Tancred nodded and took a cookie from a plate sitting in the middle of the table. He had a mug of coffee, not quite that hot since he was the first that had arrived at the café. Lysander had some tea and a few pieces of toast, while Terra had a steaming mug of coffee, regular. She would have none of that 'decaf is good for you' nonsense. When she wanted to be up, she drank coffee.

Terra reached nonchalantly for the sugar bowl, while Tancred did the same across from her. Their hands met on the lid and each pulled away quickly, blushing. Tancred's hair sparked and a slight breeze floated through the open windows. Terra gave a nervous giggle and smoothed out her hair.

"Here, you can go ahead," She said politely, offering the bowl to him.

He shook his head and the saltshaker fell over, "No, its okay, you were there first," he said determinedly.

Terra shrugged and said, "If you say so, Tanc," trying to be casual.

Lysander, who had watched the whole scene with amusement, interjected loudly, "Way to be a gentleman, Tanc," and then laughed to himself at hid friend's increasing blush.

If there were ever a thing to make Tancred flustered, Lysander never would have bet it was going to be a girl. Usually, the stormy boy reveled in attention and often encouraged it. This was highly entertaining and yet highly bizarre.

Charlie came back, clueless as to the whole fiasco, with Runner Bean following him eagerly, "Hey, look who I found waiting for me in back!" he said excitedly, then noticed the look on Lysander's face and the silence; Aside from Gabriel's cooing to the gerbil, which was now balancing on top of a straw sticking out of his drink. Gabriel was a genius with animals, "Hey, Tancred, why is your face all red?"

If anything, this just made it worse. Tancred said something unintelligible then crawled over Lysander and stood up. He was about to head out when he was met at the door by Olivia, Emma and Fidelio.

"What, are you leaving already, Tancred?" Emma asked in confusion, "we just got here."

Fidelio and Olivia grinned and steered the stormy boy back to the table. He took his seat, once again, grudgingly. The others took seats on the outside of the booth, squishing everyone on the inside. The breeze felt good, even though it meant Tancred wasn't exactly pleased with them.

"So, Terra…" Charlie said, looking relaxed, "What's your endowment?"

This time, he had her. She was sitting on the inside of the booth, looking quite uncomfortable. She hadn't foreseen this, and it certainly wasn't what she'd expected.

"Clever, Charlie Bone," she thought bitterly, "very clever…"


	8. Crescendo: Secrets revealed, sort of

((Ah, yes, sorry its been taking me so long to update! The site has been acting-up and wouldn't let me open the stories page to add a new chapter...which was frustrating, to say the least.  
Thank you to all who have reviewed!Derager, you're right. I totally forgot to put Emma's endowment in the chapter where Charlie was explaining them all. And Meggie, thanks for so many reviews, I appreciate them all!And Alder, thank you for reading it and reviewing, also! The reviews and hits give me initiative to keep writing it!))

The rest of the table waited in silence for Terra's reply. Charlie really had her, this time. On the inside of the booth, she seemed snared in his trap. It really was ingenious, the plan he'd come up with. But, as with all plans, there were things he hadn't been able to foresee.

All of a sudden, a strange feeling came over Charlie. He felt sad; so great was his sorrow that he was overcome by it and tears rolled down his cheeks. All of his friends immediately turned to him, asking him what was wrong and if he was okay. That was when Terra made her move.

In the blink of an eye, she had slipped under the table, come out on the outside and run through the door. Almost at once, Charlie felt normal again. He didn't even know what had happened, just that he was really sad, for some reason.

"What on Earth came over you?" Emma asked worriedly.

"Yeah, you started crying for no reason, Charlie!" Olivia exclaimed, Fidelio and Gabriel nodding in agreement.

"It was Terra…" Lysander said quietly, and they all turned to him curiously.

What do you mean?" Charlie asked the African boy suspiciously.

Tancred gave a nod and replied for Lysander, as if guessing his thoughts, "Why else would that happen. Didn't you see the way she bolted. She knew that between her leaving and seeing if you were alright, we'd pick you."

Lysander gave Tancred an appraising sort of look and added, "That's the gist of it…and right before it happened, her eyes sort of…got that look that Manfred's get when he's going to hypnotize someone."

"Wait, you're saying she made Charlie cry without saying anything?" Fidelio mused.

"Exactly," Tancred said, as though it had been obvious, "that's got to be her endowment…I bet that's why Manfred was acting so strangely! She can make people feel things!"

Emma paled and whispered, "Than she can do much worse than that…think of the awful feelings she could create…hopelessness, wanting to die, making you feel bad enough to kill yourself…that's frightening…"

Olivia also looked grim, "Than we'd better make sure we get her on our side, guys. I hope we didn't push her away by bugging her about her endowment, though. Then there'd be trouble."

Elsewhere, Terra was just reaching the cathedral, not even out of breath. He blonde hair was a bit messy, because there was a slight wind, and her eyes were wide. She couldn't believe she'd actually used her endowment like that. Sure, she'd done it before, but never to someone who didn't deserve it…

"That Charlie Bone was asking for it, though," she thought acidly, "prying into my secrets and such…he deserved it, he really did…but why do I feel so bad about it?"

"Why, indeed?"

She turned, startled by the reply. She hadn't been expecting one. Turning, she found herself face-to-face with Asa Pike. His yellow eyes bore into her Terra's emerald ones. For all the wolfish tendencies, he was incredibly attractive; tall, with piercing eyes and dark hair, and a deep, snarling voice that sent shivers up her spine.

"I…I'm not sure, but I'd like to know what you're doing here," she said shortly, her eyes narrowing.

He smiled hollowly and replied, "I was out for a walk, fancied seeing the cathedral. I could ask you the same question, Miss Darkwood."

She debated in her head whether or not to trust him, since he was one of Manfred's cronies, after all. He seemed very sly, and she finally decided against trusting him. It was one of the smartest things she'd done all day.

"Same as you, really," she batted her long eyelashes innocently at him, "I wanted to see the cathedral, since I never had before. I am new here, after all. It beautiful, by the way."

"Where're you from?" he asked her curiously, not looking quite as sneaky as before.

She grinned and said, "Je suis francaise. Tu n'ecoute pasma accent, eh?"

He looked puzzled for a moment then said slowly, "French, huh? I never would have guessed. You don't really have an accent."

She shrugged again and responded brightly, "Well, I speak a couple different languages, so…can't have just one accent."

Asa nodded and suddenly felt extremely light. She was stunning, this golden-haired beauty before him, and her voice was like music. He felt like dancing, or giving her flowers, or a number of other things that were extremely odd for him. He closed his eyes in pure joy.

When he opened them, she was gone, and so were most of the feelings. He still thought she was beautiful, but the respect was mingled with fear. He had no idea what she'd just done, but she was extremely powerful, all the same. He pulled out a cell phone and dialed Manfred's number. They needed this girl on their side; she'd put Bone and his friends in their place.


	9. Requiem: A meeting by chance

Terra sat with her back against the wall of a small alley near the pet's café, hugging her knees to her chest. The nicer kids were nosy and poked their noses where they didn't belong, the meaner kids were obviously untrustworthy. She wasn't sure what to do, even the thought of going back to Bloor's Monday formed knots in her stomach.

"Great…" she said to herself wryly, "either way I feel like I'm screwed. I didn't think my endowment would cause such a stir, jeez…it's not like its any more amazing than Tancred's, or Lysander's…"

She sighed and glanced up at the sky, as if searching for a sign. A raindrop hit her in the eye, making her blink for a moment before she realized what had happened. Rain? No, rain was wet, and she didn't like rainy days much when she was in a bad mood. She figured going indoors was a good idea, but the prospect of going to her empty home and sitting there alone made her feel lonely.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paton had been on his way to go get Charlie when he came across a girl sitting alone in an alley near the café. She was soaking wet because of the storm, and her blonde hair hung in her face so that he couldn't see her eyes. Something tugged at his heartstring and he approached her.

"Um, hello, there," he said politely, and she looked up, as if surprised to see someone else in such a plain alley, "My name is Paton. You look a bit wet. Want to share my umbrella?"

She glanced up at him, and replied in a calm voice, "That…that would be very nice, thank you, Mr. Paton…I'm Terra…" she pushed some of the clumps of wet hair behind her shoulders, like it was a habit of some sort, and stood up. After dusting herself off, she moved under the umbrella.

Paton smiled and said kindly, "Think you want to come back to the house and I can have my niece-in-law get you a nice cup of tea?"

Terra nodded slowly and replied, "Yes, please. May I ask what you're doing out in such horrible weather, though?"

Paton said casually, "Well, I was off to pick up my niece-in-law's son, but he can get home on his own. He's a very responsible boy. Right now, I think getting you out of the rain is a top priority."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Charlie finished-up at the café and headed for home, his mind buzzing with everything that had happened that day. It was a little past lunchtime and nearing dinnertime. He figured Maisie would have something for him, or his mother would be home and have something for him. Both women were extremely thoughtful, after all.

"Hello?" he called, opening the door and stepping in out of the rain quickly, "I'm home!"

"We're in here, Charlie!" he heard uncle Paton call from the kitchen

Charlie wandered into the kitchen, where he found Maisie, his mother and Uncle Paton sitting at the table with a pretty blonde girl…Terra!

"Terra!" He exclaimed suddenly, his eyes widening. He jumped back; it was only a reflex.

"Charlie?" She yelled in shock and stood up abruptly, knocking over an empty teacup and a few candles, "What are you doing here!"

"I could ask you the same question!" He called back, his eyes still extremely wide and frightened. He'd seen what she could do, but was it possible she'd used her endowment on his family?"

"I was sitting out in the rain when this nice man, Mr. Paton, offered to let me in for a cup of tea and shared his umbrella!" Terra said defensively, "I didn't do anything, okay?"

Charlie didn't look entirely convinced but replied, "I happen to live her, Terra. That's my uncle, my mom and my grandma."

Paton stared from the girl to Charlie, wondering what on earth they were talking about. He didn't seem to have anything to say, though, for he kept his mouth shut. Maisie, however, did have something to say.

"What on Earth is going on, Charlie? Miss Terra?" She demanded, and Charlie found himself dry of an explanation.


	10. Fugue: Some truth and unwanted visitors

When Maisie again voiced her confusion, Terra was forced to speak, "I'm sorry for all this commotion, Mrs. Jones," she said apologetically, "you see, Charlie and I know each other from school and he's a bit upset because he just found out about my abilities to-"

"Manipulate people!" Charlie interjected loudly, giving his uncle a pleading look.

"Er, I suppose if I were to let it get out of hand then there could be consequences, or something of the sort…" she said guiltily, looking determinedly at the floor.

"You used your emotion thing on me! In the café so you could get away!" Charlie said angrily.

Paton stared at Terra, long and hard, then said finally, "Miss Darkwood, I'm going to take it you're the new endowed student at Bloor's that my sisters have been talking about, since they found out you were attending?"

The blonde girl looked back and replied, "If your sisters are three women who work closely with Dr. Bloor and the old man, then yes. They've been stalking me for a while, now…mostly watching my house. I hate being there alone, though …"

"You live alone?" Charlie asked, forgetting his hysteria about her endowment and feeling a tinge of sympathy.

Terra nodded and said quietly, "Yes, I do. Its not like I spend a lot of time there, anyways. I have a house up in the heights, near where Gabriel said he lived. I'm sorry about the whole endowment thing, its just…you're a very nosy boy, and I didn't think it was any of your business."

Paton spoke quickly, as not to let Charlie turn the remark into an argument, "Miss, I don't want to pry, but Charlie said that you 'used your emotion thing' on him? And if I know my sisters, you can bet that's why they're following you."

Her cheeks turned a pale pink and she responded shyly, "Um, well, yes…but I only used it to get away…I'm an Empath, you see, Mr. Paton. It is possible that's included in their motives…" her expression was hard to read, but Charlie had an odd feeling they weren't getting the whole truth from Terra.

Paton's eyebrows rose a bit and he said in mingled awe and distrust, "You're en Empath, are you…?"

Terra gave a slight nod and shifted uncomfortably, before turning to Charlie, "I'm also sorry about using my endowment on you…it was wrong of me to do that, but you kept asking me about it and I felt trapped…"

Charlie also shifted, though guiltily, "Yeah, I suppose I was a bit pushy about the whole affair…and you being an Empath just made me more suspicious because I didn't know what was going on with you around, so I, er, uh…yeah…" he finished his sentence stupidly as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs and towards the kitchen.

It was Grandma Bone, standing there in a hideous brown dress with her wispy hair pulled back into a tight knot at the back of her head. She was frowning distastefully at all of them, looking as though she had swallowed something sour.

"What is going on down here? We have company coming, tonight!" She exclaimed angrily, glowering in turn at everyone in the kitchen, her eyes finally coming to rest on Terra, "Wait…who are you? I don't recognize you, at all. Speak, girl."

Nervously, Terra got to her feet and gave a polite curtsy, "Hello, you must be Mrs. Bone," she said, her voice not letting on to any of the fear that she obviously had, "I've heard so much about you."

She had almost a flattering look in her eyes, and Charlie would've thought she was using her endowment on Grandma Bone if he hadn't seen the confused expression on his grandmother's face, which was followed by a look of triumph.

"Well, now, this is a first," Grandma Bone said with an unladylike snort, "one of your little friends with manners. Who would've thought it possible…"

Charlie felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. She didn't know who Terra was after all. This running through his mind, he was incredibly shaken when he remembered Grandma Bone mentioning 'guests' coming. That word always—always—meant Charlie great-aunts, Grandma Bone's sisters: Lucretia, Eustacia, and Venetia.

As if on cue, there came a rap on the door. Charlie's heart was pounding so loudly that he was sure everyone in the room could hear it. Paton caught his eye and they both shuddered. This was the worst possible scenario they could've imagined.

Terra, however, seemed unfazed by all of this. It was as if she wasn't scared at all. Maybe this was because she'd had the three aunts stalking her, or maybe it was that she had faith in her own abilities. Charlie didn't know, but he was sure she wouldn't be a fountain of courage after meeting the three Yewbeam aunts.


	11. Interlude: Escape and ambush

As it happened, there was a knock on the back door at the same time. Charlie ran to get it and found Tancred and Lysander on his doorstep, both looking concerned. They probably had no idea how lucky it was that they were there, even. Before either of them could get a word out, Charlie disappeared into the kitchen, motioning them to stay there. Lysander shrugged and crossed his arms, leaning against the side of the house. Tancred rested a hand on the doorframe, using it to prop him up lazily.

When he went back into the kitchen, he could hear his grandmother letting his great-aunts in through the front door. Grabbing Terra by the shoulders, he herded her to the back door and thrust her into Tancred's arms.

"Take her! Hide her! Now!" He hissed, and slammed the door hurriedly.

Tancred blushed and asked Terra, looking flustered, "What was that about?"

She looked just as startled as the other two, but replied, "The Yewbeam aunts were at the front door. They've been stalking me."

Lysander gave a funny sort of nod and said, "Well, we can bring you to Tancred's. You'll be safe there, for now."

Terra raised an eyebrow, "Why does anybody have to keep me safe?" she asked in frustration, doing a quote-on-quote motion with the words "keep me safe."

"Because," Lysander said knowingly, "if the Yewbeam aunts are stalking you, there's got to be a very bad reason."

"And not bad as in stupid; Bad as in evil," Tancred added, seeing the look of total confusion on her face.

"But I don't understand," Terra said quietly, taking one of each of their arms', "I could've taken them. They've got to be ancient. What are they going to do to me? Hobble after me?"

Lysander snickered, as the three began to walk with Terra in the middle, "They are old, but they act very young. They're dreadful, once you know what they're about. They're the ones who helped arrange the hypnotism and such of Emma Tolly, when she was just a baby."

"They also helped with the experiments with the boa on Ollie Sparks, and Charlie thinks they've been keeping his father under hypnotism or something, too," Tancred said, adding his two cents.

Terra's expression became unreadable and she muttered, "Well, its time those old witches learned a lesson, that's sure."

And they continued on towards the Thunder house, which would be the safest place around to keep Terra when the aunts were on the prowl. Terra felt a tinge of guilt, though, that she hadn't told anybody about the meeting with Manfred's crony, Asa Pike.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back inside, Charlie returned to the kitchen just in time. The aunts walked in right after him. Paton, his mother and Maisie didn't say anything about his actions. All three knew that what he'd done was exactly what should've been done.

Lucretia, Venetia and Eustacia walked in, looking vile as usual. All three were dressed pretty much alike, aside from the colors of their outfits. Charlie had never seen anything quite so disgusting; at least not since he'd seen Yolanda's true form; that was a horror he never wanted to experience again.

"Well, Charlie, Grizelda tells us you've someone we should very much like to meet?" Venetia said with a sinisterly kind smile, her tone so strangely gentle that he was expecting her to spit acid at him when he told her Terra was gone.

But this ruined his deductions that grandma Bone didn't know who Terra was. This was definitely going to be a very bad year. The last year at Bloor's was dreadful, but this year…he could already tell it was going to be rotten. The aunts were already on the move, doing something evil, and it wasn't even second semester.


	12. Movement: A long trip to a safehaven

Even as they made their way away from Charlie's house, the three could clearly hear Grandma Bone yelling furiously. Terra felt a tinge of pity for Charlie, but it was quickly replaced with a sense of relief for herself. She was with the two safest people possible, and on her way to one of the more well-guarded houses around. All of it was natural protection, too.

They were passing in front of a restaurant, after having been walking for about twenty minutes. Lysander and Terra were in bouts of continuous laughter, seeing as Tancred's stomach grumbled every time he saw something that even remotely reminded him of food.

"Well, it's not my fault I'm hungry," he said with mock indignity, "Lysander insisted we visit you and Charlie, and then there was the issue of the aunts…we could, at least, get a cocoa or a pastry."

Lysander shrugged and replied, "I didn't bring any money with me, mate. Sorry about that," he turned to Terra, giving her a hopeful look, "you have anything, Terra?"

She shook her head glumly, staring longingly at a store across the street, on their other side.

"Or maybe," thought Lysander with a slight smirk, "she's staring at Tanc discreetly. Wouldn't that be funny? I can already tell he wants to look back at her…"

He chuckled to himself and slowed his pace to walk behind them. Neither of them seemed to notice, which he noted mentally with a gleam of triumph in his eye.

"Hey, guys walk a little slower, eh?" he said, grinning all the while, "I'm sort of tired, and you're walking awfully fast…"

Tancred turned and stopped, "Oh, sorry, Sander!" he exclaimed apologetically, "I didn't realize you were behind, I was too busy admiring the food in the windows."

Lysander raised an eyebrow and then winked at him. Tancred stared dumbly back, unsure what his friend was getting at. Shrugging, the African boy caught up with them and said, pointedly, "We're almost to your place, Tanc."

Terra looked ahead, as if trying to guess where Tancred lived among the large houses. They were into the heights, now, and would soon be at the thunder house.

"So, um, what do we tell your parents?" Terra asked tentatively.

Tancred looked thoughtful then replied, "That Charlie's crazy aunts are stalking you and you need to lie low for a while, I guess."

"Great idea, Tanc; The truth. I never thought I'd hear you say that," Lysander agreed with him wholeheartedly.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They finally reached the thunder house, and the two boys lead Terra in carefully. They were immediately met by Tancred's mother, who smiled brightly at them.

"Why, hello, boys!" she said happily, "oh, my, I have the pleasure of meeting a young lady, today, too! Is she your girlfriend, Tancred?"

His mother looked so hopeful, that Lysander had to resist the temptation to say yes and embarrass his friend immensely.

Luckily, Terra had the sense to answer before either of them, "Um, no, I'm not his girlfriend, Mrs. Torsson," she said with a swift curtsy, "just a friend from school. My name is Terranova, it's a pleasure."

Mrs. Torsson nodded and then said politely, "Well, you all look tired, so I'm guessing you walked here from that Charlie Bone's house?"

They all nodded back and were gratefully herded into the kitchen. She brought out leftovers from dinner, which Tancred had missed, to his annoyance, and seated them at the table.

Terra jumped as a bright flash peeked through the shades and a boom of thunder followed. Looked positively terrified, she looked around, as if for the source. Things had been calm when they'd arrived, which was unusual for thunder house.

Terra hadn't known that, so she'd assumed it was a normal house. Apparently, she didn't realize a calm meant Tancred's father was out. The storm just showed he was back.

"It's okay," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "it's just my dad. He makes storms too, like me."

She gave a sigh of relief and continued to eat as if nothing had happened. Tancred reluctantly took his hand back, wondering if he'd calmed her or his explanation had. He shot a glance at Lysander, who was stuffing his face, now that there was edible food (unlike Bloors' food).

"I'm back!" Mr. Torsson called, entering the room with a gust of wind, "I see we have guests! Hello there, son! How are you Lysander? And, Ms…Tancred's friend, who just happens to be a girl."

He added the last part when Mrs. Torsson gave him a warning look.

"Um, hey, dad," Tancred said, a few raindrops plopping on the table from overhead, "This is Terra. She's being stalked by Charlie's psycho-aunts, so she needs to crash here for a day or so. Is it okay?"

Mr. Torsson smiled and replied in a booming voice, "Why, of course she can! A friend in need is a friend indeed!"

"Daaad…" Tancred rolled his eyes, "I thought we talked about not using corny rhymes…"

Mr. Torsson only smiled and snagged some food off of Tancred's plate before disappearing into the living room.


	13. Lament: The beast in all of us

Terra later found herself sleeping on the sofa in the living room of Tancred's house. It was comfortable, but somehow it just wasn't quite right. She couldn't seem to get rid of the nagging thoughts in the beck of her head; thoughts that told her she shouldn't be on this side. Manfred had already told her about the plans and things Charlie and his friends had ruined, but still…they'd been very kind to her.

She tossed and turned for a few hours, with difficulty on the small space of the couch. Eventually, she fell off and just lay on the floor for a bit, being too lazy to get back on. She stared into the night, through the living room window, wondering what was out there. She kept hearing strange noises; howling and loud crashes. This, along with the storms, prevented her from sleeping at all.

At 2:00 AM, she'd had enough. Whatever was out there would have to deal with its emotions turning on it, because she was too tired to think straight. Pulling on one of Tancred's sweatshirts, which she'd borrowed in case it rained that night and her clothes got wet, Terra headed for the door.

It was unlocked, seeing as the weather was protection enough. Perhaps they just had too much confidence in their strange endowments, she found herself thinking. Feeling guilty, but not knowing why, she dashed out into the night. It wasn't long before she found the source of the howling.

She'd gone only about twenty meters when she saw a shadowy figure, silhouetted against the moonlight. It was a gigantic beast, with crooked teeth and gleaming eyes. She couldn't really see anything besides the razor-sharp teeth and the eyes, which made it all the more frightening. She froze, immobilized by pure terror. It approached her, its eyes never leaving her own.

Finally, the beast was so close she could feel its breath on her face. Her heart was pounding like mad, her hands trembling so much she would've thought she was having a seizure if she'd been thinking rationally. In a matter of seconds, she realized she was staring into Asa Pike's frightening eyes. She jumped back, shocked at what had happened.

"Was I hallucinating?" she thought, having been so lost in the eyes and her fear that she hadn't noticed the beast had become a boy, "its just him, Asa…but I could swear there was a m-m-monster…" she breathed deeply, realizing just how scared she'd been once she noticed that even her thoughts were stuttering.

"We all have a beast in us…" he said quietly, his voice barely audible over the wind, "mine just rears his head in darkness…what's yours?"

She shook her head, still trying to steady her breathing and sort out her thoughts, "My what? My endowment? I'd have thought you figured it out by now…"

"No," he said, his face normal but his eyes continuing to scare her, "your beast. Yours is on the inside, like most of the endowed. Some try to fight it, like Charlie and his foolish friends, but it gets you in the end."

She stared hard at him, before replying shakily, "My beast…my endowment…I create false emotions, but you knew that, didn't you?"

"Since we met in class," he replied automatically, "I could tell yours was similar to Joshua. Even Manfred was acting unusual, and the only difference there was you. I figured you had to be it, and my suspicions were confirmed after our little date at the cathedral…"

She frowned slightly, "Don't call it that," she said, as if in a daze, not really grasping the situation yet, "and why have you come? What do you want?" she knew the answer even before he had time to speak.

"You, silly girl. Manfred and the old man want you. I'm afraid you're needed for their plans, so that Charlie Bone can't ruin anymore of them."

A second later, a bolt of lightning screwed into the ground between them and Terra turned, her trance broken, to find an angry, pajama-clad Tancred. Lysander, who was also wearing pajamas, followed him closely. She'd nearly forgotten about them. Glancing from Tancred to Asa, she wondered what she'd been doing. Why was it she felt torn between their ill-defined sides, when she knew in the back mind which one was the right choice?

Another bolt struck, next to the spot where the first had, sending out a shower of sparks. She turned to Tancred for a split-second, and when she looked back to Asa, she only saw the beast from before. He let out a piercing howl and disappeared into the night.

Tancred looked tired, worn either from not sleeping or from using his endowment so forcefully. Lysander also looked tired, though not as much as his stormy friend did. Terra felt her legs turn to jelly, as an aftereffect of the strange encounter.

"Are you alright?"

It took a few moments before she realized that someone was speaking to her. It was Lysander. He went on, and she tried extremely hard to listen, but her mind was somewhere else.

"Why was Asa here? Why did you go outside? You knew they'd be looking for you!"

She shook her head numbly and felt someone shaking her. It was Tancred, this time, his electric hair generating sparks he was so overwhelmed.

"I'm sorry, I just…I couldn't sleep and I was going to scare the animal away, but…it was there and then Asa was…" she couldn't find her voice, and her eyelids drooped shut, "I couldn't attack him…too scared…took me by surprise…eyes…"

Now she was just mumbling nonsense into Lysander's shirtfront, as he had a protective arm around her. Tancred had gone off for the minute. Searching for Asa? Most likely. He returned shortly and pulled Terra out of Lysander's grip. His blue eyes were flashing with some emotion she was too tired to name. Anger? Fear? She wasn't sure which.

"Terra," he mumbled, gripping her wrist tightly, "we're trying to protect you. What were you doing out here? You knew it was dangerous."

Seeing that he wasn't going to get any sense out of her, that night, he turned to Lysander worriedly. The African boy merely suggested one of them carry her back to the house. She was currently using him to prop herself up.

"You can, Tanc, I'm too tired," Lysander said, now looking it. Neither of the two boys had slept a wink either, waiting for something, like what had just occurred, to happen.

Carefully, Tancred picked her up with one arm under her knees and another around her shoulders. Her head was resting at his shoulder and her eyes were blank, staring straight ahead. He wasn't sure if something was wrong with her or not, but he had a feeling he and Sander would be sitting downstairs for the rest of the night, just to make sure Asa didn't return with reinforcements.


	14. Concerto: A storm brewing

It was dawn when Terra woke, an array of sunbeams peeking through the shades of the living room. She sat up to find she was on the sofa. The details of the night before became vividly frightening, and she stood up quickly, nearly stepping on Lysander, who was laying in a sleeping bag next to the sofa. Turning to where his feet were, she saw that Tancred was sitting on the end of the couch, asleep also.

Blushing, she realized her head had been on his lap. Collecting herself she frowned slightly, remembering that Tancred had yelled at her. What right did he and Lysander have to tell her what she could and couldn't do? From what she'd heard, they weren't exactly the ones to 'play it safe' either. Not really angry, but not ready to talk to them, she decided on going to the Pets' café. Mr. Onimous would surely let her in, despite the times on the door.

She was about to go out when there was a knock on the door. Terra jumped, startled by such an early visitor. Could it be Asa, back again? She turned to see Tancred sitting up groggily, yawning. He gave her a questioning look, but said nothing and headed to get the door.

"Y'know, you gave us quite a scare last night."

It was Lysander who had spoken, propping himself up on his elbows, dreadlocks a mess. He still looked tired, but even she herself felt tired. The previous night had been an utter fiasco.

"Look, Sander…" she started, feeling a mixture of guilt and frustration, "I know that I shouldn't have gone out alone, but…he didn't hurt me; he wasn't going to. Asa's not dangerous, really, I think he's just lonely."

Tancred gave a snort of disagreement as he walked back in with Olivia and a strange girl none of them had ever met. He crossed his arms and glared long and hard at Terra before Olivia managed to remember her manners and went about with explanations.

"Oh, Hello, nice to see you Terra, Lysander. This is my cousin, she's visiting for a while. Long story, really. We just thought we'd stop in and see hw things were going, as Charlie called me and sounded kind of worried."

She finished, after what seemed like a long time to Terra, and her cousin the spoke quietly. The girl looked almost nervous, though who wouldn't be? What with handsome Tancred and Lysander, and Terra, all new faces.

"Um, my name is Raelin. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said politely, smiling as well as she could.

Tancred gave a nod of acknowledgement, Lysander grinned stupidly and Terra smiled back replying, "No, the pleasure is ours, mon ami. C'est une honneur, Raelin."

"Well, Raelin," Olivia said, looking cheerful as usual, "the blonde guy is Tancred Torsson, Mr. Dreadlocks is Lysander Sage, and the blonde girl is Terranova Darkwood or Terra," she then turned to her friends and said with a shrug, "she knows about endowments and stuff cause my mom flipped-out and was telling the whole family. There was a bit of a…mishap and so Rae is staying with my family for a while."

Tancred nodded again, not really seeming interested, "Well, just so you know, Asa pike was here last night as a beast. I dunno what his deal was, but he didn't harm Terra just talked. Or so she says, anyways…"

Terra glared daggers at him and the added, "Look, just because you're some kind of popular jerk with an oversized ego doesn't mean you've never felt low. You should right now, if nothing else. I mean, you've seen how Manfred treats the poor guy; obviously he's lonely."

"What the hell is your problem!" Tancred exclaimed, a chilly wind knocking over a few things on coffee tables, "This is ASA you're talking about! Manfred's guy! Tried to kill Charlie in the Rune Game! Ring a bell!"

"Do they always fight like this?" Raelin whispered tentatively to Olivia, casting a wary look at Tancred and Terra.

"Actually, no," Olivia murmured back, "they don't. But I have a feeling its going to get worse when they hear what's going on at Charlie's house…"

Lysander looked over at Olivia and Raelin but remained quiet, not wanting to add to the noise. This was ridiculous; Terra and Tancred didn't need to be at each others' throats over something so miniscule as the well-being of Asa, whom none of them even liked. But then, he decided being the peace-maker would get him killed; struck by lightning or committing suicide because he felt so badly about himself. Neither was a nice prospect, so he let them argue. Hopefully, Asa would show his colors and then there wouldn't be a need to argue.

Although, he had to agree with Terra just a little; Tancred might need to uninflected his ego a bit, sometime.


	15. Waltz: Decisions and distractions

"Ugh, I've had it with this! I'm sick of you and I'm sick of your attitude!" Turning on her heel, Terra stormed out as best she could, in comparison to the mess Tancred was making of his living room.

"What is WITH that girl?" Tancred exclaimed hotly, still knocking things over with his wind and now causing a light drizzle, "and she says I have an attitude! The nerve of her!"

He threw himself down on the sofa and sat the, fuming, watching Terra stomp down the driveway and out of sight through the front window. Trying with little avail to calm himself, Tancred closed his eyes, took a deep breath and tried to envision happy, calming things: A sunny beach…fruit punch…waves lapping gently at his feet…beautiful music coming from somewhere nearby…Terra screaming at him!

She had no right to do what she did, and he had half a mind to tell her that in the same tone of voice…but he didn't feel like chasing her down, since she was already pretty far off and she'd just be mean anyway. Lysander sat down next to him and shook his head, then rested it on his hands, leaning so they were propped up on his knees. He then leaned back and sighed, hoping Tancred would take that as an 'I'm frustrated with you and we need to go find her' gesture.

"Alright, alright, I get it Sander…" Tancred resigned himself to his fate, "maybe we should go get her and make her apologize," seeing the look on Lysander's face he added, "After we apologize, that is."

Lysander nodded then remembered Olivia and her cousin were standing there, "Oh, right, Olivia. What'd you come by for, anyway? Was it to introduce us to Raelin?"

Olivia shook her head and replied, "Well, of course not. If that had been the case, then I would've just waited until later in the afternoon to drop by. Raelin and I went to Charlie's and his aunts were there, conspiring with his grandmother no doubt, along with Dr. Bloor and old Ezekiel! I was pretty surprised, since they were all there at the same time, but I sort of had expected some plotting by them…anyways, Charlie shooed us out the back door, telling the adults We'd come to drop off something from Fidelio, and told me I was to tell you two not to let Terra out of your sight."

"Oops," Tancred said with a slight grin, amused by the irony of it all, "guess we sort of blew that one."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that when she ran out the door," Olivia shrugged, "but I didn't say anything cause you looked like you were going to hurt somebody…"

Lysander laughed, "Tanc's not really that much of a jerk, Terra was just mad at him. He wouldn't have hurt you, honestly."

"What do you mean, I'm not 'that much' of a jerk?" Tancred raised an eyebrow, "I'm not a 'jerk' at all, Sander. You can be so heartless sometimes," he feigned crying into his hands while everyone laughed, then regained composure, "Oh, snap! We have to find Terra!"

Lysander, still snickering helplessly, managed, "It would help if we weren't all so easily distracted, huh, Tanc?" the took a few deep breaths and tried to stop his convulsive giggles.

Olivia nodded and stopped laughing, "Okay, well, lets go find her before Manfred and Asa. But first, do you think we could get some breakfast? We were going to stop at Pets' café, cause it opens pretty early, but we came here after Charlie told us…"

Tancred nodded understandingly, since he was someone who wouldn't survive until lunch without breakfast, "Yeah, sounds great. We haven't eaten either. What d'you guys want?"

Lysander disappeared into the kitchen and they followed him, watching as he pulled open a cupboard next to the fridge. He pulled out some muffins and raisin bread, "There's also some toaster strudels in the fridge, I think."

Raelin blushed and motioned no, "I think I'll have a muffin or two, if it's okay…"

Lysander shrugged and offered her the bag, eyes on Tancred, who was already pulling out four waffles and putting them in the toaster, "Tancred, we need to go find Terra. We don't have time for you to make waffles…" he grinned helplessly.

Tancred sighed and then replied, "I'll just not put syrup on them. They taste fine without it. Hey, could you grab a muffin or two for me, also? I'm starved, thanks."

He took the muffins and the waffles, which had come up, and put them all in a paper bag. Then, he grabbed a pencil and paper and wrote a note to his parents, which he put in the middle of the counter using an apple as a paperweight.

"Okay, lets go, guys," he said, pulling on a coat, "don't want to waste any more time…"

Lysander grabbed a coat from the closet and asked politely, "Mind if I borrow one of yours? I can't remember where I put mine down."

Tancred nodded and said casually, "su casa es mi casa."

Raelin giggled and then said quietly, for she seemed to be very shy, "Its 'mi casa es su casa,' Tancred. You just said 'your house is my house' instead of vice-versa."

Olivia shrugged and said with a lopsided grin, "I don't speak Spanish, so it sounded fine to me. If anything, both are true."

"Seems logical," Lysander said, heading out the door, "if his house is my house, then mine would be his also. At least, that's how I'd look at it."

Tancred smiled at him. Lysander was great, he always understood. He'd take Tancred's side even when he knew he was wrong. Realizing he'd been zoning-out, Tancred came back to his senses and picked-up his pace to match Sander, who was ahead a few feet.

They'd find her in time, all of them working together.


	16. Nocturne: Falling into darkness

Terra sat on a park bench near the heights, cold and hungry but with too much pride to go back and apologize. She'd said some harsh things that she knew weren't true at all. Tancred did have a bit of an ego, but he wasn't a jerk, he just knew he was hot. Which annoyed her, somewhat.

"God, Terra, maybe you're the one with the ego problem instead of Tancred!" she exclaimed to herself angrily, "you could at least go back, even if you don't tell him you're sorry!"

Movement. Nearby, in the trees.

"I didn't know you talked to yourself, Ms. Darkwood."

It was Manfred, his dark eyes hazier than ever, looking more malicious than she'd ever seen him. He was intimidating, seeing as he was taller than her even when she wasn't sitting. And his eyes; they were so daunting, the way they looked through you instead of at you.

"I don't. I tend to yell at myself, though," she replied calmly, trying not to let on to her fears, "especially when I'm angry. Then again, that's the case with most people, only they do it inside their heads, not out loud."

He laughed, cold and cruel; mocking, almost, "Well, I heard Tancred's name in there somewhere. Interested in him, are you? I told you Charlie and his friends were bad news."

She shrugged and made to reply, but found he was looking her in the eye. His eyes radiated hatred and malice, but at the same time she was surrounded by the warm, muddled feeling of sleeping. Then she felt no more.


	17. Fermata: Seeing Double

They arrived at the park soon after, Tancred looking determined to find Terra, and Lysander determined to help him. Olivia and Raelin just walked silently—well, Raelin was silent—behind them. Every now and then, when they heard some kind of noise, Tancred would jump and they'd all feel kind of statically charged. They knew he didn't do it on purpose, but still…Olivia had to say something after the fifth time she'd been shocked.

"Tanc, she's not here. We've looked everywhere. Maybe she just went back to Charlie's," she said, trying to discourage him but be comforting and understanding at the same time.

"She has to be…" Tancred sighed, eyes on the ground, "I…I feel guilty about this, and don't any of you dare laugh, okay? She could be in trouble, and if I hadn't argued with her so much-"

"Tanc, stop beating yourself up about it," Lysander cut in, putting a hand on his shoulder, "sure, you guys argued, but it wasn't your fault alone. Terra chose to leave, and that's not just your fault. We'll find her."

"Hey, is that her? She's blonde, right?" Raelin asked, painting over to what appeared to be a couple coming towards them.

Olivia, Tancred and Lysander turned abruptly, watching the two come closer until they could clearly see their faces. Manfred Bloor and…Terra? She was walking next to him almost dreamily, her lush eyes glazed-over and dead looking.

"Terra!" Tancred called, running up to her, "hey, what the hell are you doing here with Manfred?"

She didn't respond in any way and Manfred pushed Tancred heatedly, "Stay off, Torsson!" he said dangerously, his black eyes narrowed and frightening, "Ms. Darkwood is on the Bloors' side now, and even Charlie Bone isn't going to get in our way."

"What did you do to her?" Lysander exclaimed, seeing her eyes and how lightly she was walking, "she's practically a zombie, she-" he stopped when he realized exactly what he was saying.

Manfred had gotten to her; he'd hypnotized her. Of course, it all made sense now. But why hadn't she used her endowment? Had he caught her off-guard? She'd had him under her thumb al week, so why now did he have to slip from her control?

"Terra!" Tancred said again, pleadingly, "Hey, talk to me, c'mon!" he made a move towards her and was pushed back again.

Angry now, his hair bristled with electricity and his blue eyes seemed to flash. A bolt of lightning hit the ground between Manfred and Terra. Manfred jumped away, but then rushed back to Terra side, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Wouldn't want to hurt her, now, would you, Torsson?" Manfred taunted, grinning maliciously now that he'd found a way to counter Tancred.

Lysander, after seeing this display, thought better of calling up his ancestors. He turned to Olivia and made a motion with his eyes—towards Manfred. She looked quizzical at first then remembered her newfound endowment. This was the perfect opportunity to use it.

"What the…?"

Tancred stared off at something behind Manfred, and the older boy turned around to look. His jaw dropped. Strolling towards him was, none other than, Terra! She was smiling brightly, as usual, her green eyes practically glowing in the afternoon light.

Olivia stared hard at her, feeling slightly dizzy, trying her best not to show it. Raelin let herself be used as Olivia's support, so as not to look too suspicious. Tancred still seemed not to understand what was going, and Manfred was none the wiser either.

"Terra!" Manfred said in surprise, "but how did you…er, wait, then who's she?" he turned to the girl with the blank eyes and then back to the new Terra.

Then, suddenly, Tancred got it, "Terra!" he yelled to the smiling girl, "that's where you went!" and he went to approach her.

Manfred moved away from the zombie-like girl and towards, what he now believed to be, Terra, "Back off Torsson! Don't even get close!"

Tancred shrugged and let Manfred get to her. Turning back to the real Terra, he grabbed her by the shoulders and began to herd her away as quickly as he could. Lysander then took this as his chance to keep Manfred off their backs. Focusing his entire mind on it, he set the ancestors on Manfred—not to harm him, just to keep him there while they made their getaway.

Manfred realized what was going on, but not soon enough. He reached Terra only to have her disappear and find himself surrounded by men with spears. Angrily he called curses after them, but by the time the guards disappeared, the others had left with the real Terra.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes:

Sorry that Update took so long, I kind of had a lot of studying because of exams, and then holidays and out-of-town time, etc…

It also doesn't help that I have NSND disorder (New Stimulus, New Direction), or also called EDD (Easily Distracted Disorder)

Yeah, I'd get on to write and spend nearly 2 hours listening to music and playing games and eating/drinking (mostly cookies, iced green tea, candy canes, etc. Anything I could eat and click the mouse at the same time)

Thanks a bunch for all the reviews! I appreciate them so much! I'll try and be better about updating from now on, seeing as I shouldn't have as much to do…hopefully…

-Kyo and Sweetlilfrenchgirl: Thanks for encouraging me to update. Sometimes I need a kick in the butt to get up and do something.

-La: Thanks for the complement on the story, it gives me great initiative to write!

-Mirrorigami: I don't even know how to thank you because you review a lot and reviews also make me want to write more

-Shayacatalystscifigirl: Wow, that name is a mouthful but its really cool. Sorry it won't be a yaoi, but maybe I'll write one later for you, okay?

-Ana, Yumifukushima, and Vanessa Hillstead: Thanks you for you reviews, cause I love reviews! I've probably already said that, but I can afford to say it again.

-Tibys: I was hoping to sounds somewhat like an actual Charlie Bone book, so thanks for telling me I do. I'll try to be consistent with that.

-Alder: You make very good points with your reviews and I appreciate them, thanks a bunch!

-Derager: Thanks for correcting my mistake, I did indeed forget about Emma's endowment. I think I already deleted that chapter from my folder, so lets all pretend I mentioned it ;)

-Kreepi Spicer: Yeah, I thought the Belle and Beth thing sounded odd, thanks for explaining what I screwed up

I believe I covered everyone, but if I forgot anyone please don't be mean to me cause I tried. Next chapter should be up by Friday if not earlier.

-Amber Komasaki


	18. Fantasia: A Plan of Action

(Well, I know most of you are ready to attack me because I've been sluggish about updating... I apologize profusely...but I want you all to know that I'll try and be better about this. It's summer now and I'll hopefully have less going on! Thank you for all your support, and if you feel the need to flame me, I will accept it with honor!)

They four of them managed to get as far as Pet's Café before rain hit. Tancred claimed furiously that, for once, it wasn't him, as he carried Terra carefully through the door to the café. Olivia held it open for everyone then ran inside after them, feeling the least awkward of anyone under the gazes of all the customers.

Mr. Onimous saw them almost immediately and ran over, his eyes wide at their entrance: Tancred carrying a dazed-looking Terra, Lysander looking stressed and exhausted, and Olivia and Raelin following protectively. He motioned them to a room behind the counter and let them all in, curiosity written all over his face.

The room was small and cozy with little furniture; only a loveseat and a few chairs. Mr. Onimous took a seat in one of the chairs, while Olivia took the other and Raelin and Lysander squashed onto the loveseat.

"What on earth happened?" Mr. Onimous asked once they were all settled, aside from Tancred, who was still standing unsurely.

Olivia took the initiative and began pouring out the long tale, starting from when Terra first arrived, to her strange endowment, to Manfred's seemingly obsessive nature, and finally ending with how they'd run into him and gotten Terra back. Mr. Onimous merely waited until they were done to speak.

"It sounds as though you four need to get Charlie over here right away. His Uncle Paton may be able to help with the next step. And as for helping Terra…" he paused and frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "well, do you know anyone who has been hypnotized by him before?"

Lysander nodded eagerly, wincing at the sudden movement, "Emma Tolly! And Charlie's uncle will most likely be at her aunt's shop!"

His head was aching more than ever, possibly from the overuse of his endowment. He was so muddle-up that he couldn't have told them if Manfred was still immobilized by his ancestors.

"Maybe we should go get him!" Olivia said energetically, keen to run for help, "we can't handle this on our own, I don't care what anybody says. The last time someone was hypnotized there was an invention! Maybe it's still around!" thunder sounded and she twitched noticeably.

Raelin nodded her agreement, holding back a giggle, "We could split up and find Charlie and his uncle and Emma and…her aunt? Maybe Olivia could get Charlie and I could go with Lysander to fetch Charlie's uncle or, if he's not there, Emma and her aunt…" her cheeks flushed a feathery pink and she went on, "and Tancred could stay here and watch Terra. He's the best to guard, and Lysander's too beat to…"

"I'm with Miss…" Mr. Onimous raised an eyebrow and tried out her name, "Ray-Linn? Is that right?" he smiled, having pronounced it right, "Well, I'm with Miss Raelin. Splitting up would be a good idea. One big group is easy to stop and they can't catch all of you if you go in different directions. Tancred, can you work with this plan?"

Tancred nodded as best he could, arms shaking visibly. Raelin jumped up quickly, looking flustered.

"Ohh, Tancred, I'm sorry! We forgot all about you! Here, set her down on the couch!" The slight girl exclaimed, embarrassed to have overlooked the fact that he hadn't sat down.

"Thanks, sorry, I kind of zoned out too…" He grunted, shifting Terra in his arms and stepping over to set her down, "S'alright, though, she's not very heavy…"

Terra's eyes were open but she might've been dead for all the feeling they showed; her pupils were huge and her iris had expanded to take up most of the eyes, giving her a dreamy look. They were glazed over and unblinking, which was rather creepy if you were sitting across from her. She was breathing, but aside from that she didn't move a muscle.

"Well, shall we go, then?" Raelin said tentatively, touching Lysander's arm.

"Of course…" he mumbled, getting up dazedly, "here, I know the way, but you might have to hold me up. My head feels awful."

Olivia grinned to herself but said nothing and headed out the door, giving Mr. Onimous a look of thanks as she passed. Lysander and Raelin did the same as they went out. Finally, Tancred was left with just Terra, as Mr. Onimous had customers to attend to.

He laid her down on the couch, as best as he could, but with her legs hanging off the end strangely. She would've looked peaceful, had it not been for her eyes. He sighed and closed them; they stayed and she didn't respond in the slightest.

"Terra, look…" he whispered sadly, his hair crackling with a flurry of disheartened sparks, "I'm sorry that I yelled at you, or…that we fought, okay? Just wake up…please…"

He ran his hand over her curtain of shiny, golden hair. Her eyelashes fluttered and he held his breath, and then went angrily to close the window. The breeze had raised his hopes and crushed them again quite nicely. He looked at her pale face, stiff as ever. His crushed hopes turned to powder.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lysander and Raelin ran along, on their way to Ingledew's bookstore. He was unsteady, but she held fast to his arm, in case he were to fall. The two were about halfway there; both breathing hard in the chilly rain and hoping to God they wouldn't be hit by lightning.

"Are you doing alright, Sander?" Raelin called over a pulsating boom of thunder. She shivered involuntarily and nearly lost her footing.

"Fine," Lysander managed to call back, watching his step, "you sure _you're_ alright? I mean, this stuff is really starting to come down!"

They paused for a red light and a bus went by, splattering them with mud. Lysander swore irritably at their bad luck and pulled her on as the light changed. She didn't say anything, but followed obediently.

"Did he get your face, Rae?" Lysander asked her as they continued.

"No, he just got the rest of me. I tried to cover my face," she responded coolly, clearly having liked her current outfit.

"Good, cause we're there."

He lead her into the store which was, thankfully, empty of any actual customers. Ms. Ingledew, however, was there, and she jumped when they entered. Lysander could understand her confusion, after all, they were sort of grubby at the moment, and she liked things clean and orderly.

"Um, uh, hello…" she said awkwardly, looking as though she were trying not to be bias because of their appearance, "c-can I help you…?"

Lysander moved forwards and said politely, "Yes, Ms. Ingledew, thank you. It's me, Lysander; I was at your Christmas party—last year, I think it was," he smiled warmly and added, "I'm a friend of Charlie and Emma. Is she here, by the way?"

"Actually, no, she isn't," Ms. Ingledew said apologetically, relieved it was only Lysander, "she went over to Charlie's before the storm blew in. I'm hoping she's still there…"

"I'm sure she is," Raelin spoke up quietly, "from what I've heard, she's a smart girl."

Ms. Ingledew started. She'd completely forgotten about the peculiar girl behind Lysander, "Oh, now who are you, dear?"

Lysander answered for her, knowing she was shy, "This is Olivia Vertigo's cousin, Raelin. She's just visiting."

"Right," Raelin said, nodding, "but we have need of your help, so please, let's not keep up with this small talk."

"Need of my help?" Ms. Ingledew repeated questioningly, "Well, why don't you two sit down and tell me what's going on?"


	19. Solo: Scattered

((I know, I feel bad for leaving Billy out. I only just realized a few holes in my story, but its a fanfic, so what can I do? I'll possibly edit some of my spelling mistakes and resubmit, too...gah, the errors drove me crazy when I went over it all...Thank you for all your reviews and I will try to update again, soon!))

At Charlie's house, his grandmother had fumed the rest of the evening and then locked herself inside her room with the three aunts. Old Ezekiel and Dr. Bloor, who had been there earlier, had long since left, but the sense of urgency in the air still lingered, strong as ever.

Charlie, his uncle and his mother were all sitting in the kitchen having a cup of tea when Olivia arrived. She was panting heavily and soaked to the bone, flamboyant clothes not as extravagant with their neon colors dimmed by their sogginess.

"Charlie!" she coughed, stumbling in the door and scaring everyone half to death, "Charlie, Terra's been hypnotized!"

Paton's eyes widened and Amy gasped. Charlie looked at his feet guiltily, then shifted uncomfortably, "I found out something else; something worse."

Olivia frowned and asked him, "What? What could be worse?"

"Billy got adopted. The Bloors set him up with a family; a different one from last time. He's not going to the same school anymore, that's why he's been gone."

"They're trying to divide us!" Olivia exclaimed angrily, flipping her sopping hair over her shoulder nervously.

"That's exactly right," Paton nodded, "but that's not important right now. They're after your friend, so take Charlie and go. I'll watch my sisters," he turned to Charlie, "just do what you can, okay?"

Both nodded and ran out the door, Charlie only after pulling on a coat and some shoes. Paton watched them go and turned to Amy with a ghost of a smile, "I worry about them, sometimes. Those kids get into so much trouble, its amazing…"

Amy nodded tautly, "I just wish they'd be more careful…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emma had been on her way to Charlie's when she was intercepted by the storm. She'd considered taking shelter in a tree, as a bird, but decided against it because of the danger from lightning. If her tree fell she would be as good as dead.

She walked along in the rain, not really bothering about it as she was in casual clothes anyway. She was reveling in the fact that it was Saturday—something about it just made her happy—and she found herself humming a little tune. A growl behind her ended her happiness.

"Hello, Emma."

She turned to see Asa standing there with Joshua, Dorcas and the psychic twins: Idith and Inez. All of them looked menacing, and she felt a knot form in her stomach.

"What do you want?" Emma asked suspiciously, crossing her arms and preparing to run if needed.

Asa laughed and shrugged his shoulders, "We're looking for Terra, if you must know. Have you seen her? She ran off on Manfred…"

Emma's knot tightened and she said firmly, "I don't know where she is, but you should leave her alone. She doesn't like you."

Asa laughed loudly at this remark and replied, "Of course she does, why do you think she weeded her way into your group of friends? She's obviously our spy. Remember dear Billy?"

Emma closed her eyes for a moment. This couldn't be happening; cornered and being told their new friend was a traitor. She opened her eyes and became the best bird she could manage. Asa swore bitterly as Emma flew away in the form of a tiny sparrow.

Mysterious floating pinecones hurled themselves at her, but were badly aimed. The twins pouted sourly.

Eager to warn the others about the possible threat, Emma flew to the most obvious place: Her aunt's bookstore.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Miss Ingledew, do you remember the Tolly Twelve Bells? The thing that was used to wake Emma?" Lysander asked her curiously. Miss Ingledew gave a brief nod and he continued, "Do you know if it will wake others as well?"

Julia Ingledew pushed her reading glasses up and frowned, "I don't remember if it was ever mentioned. Perhaps…Charlie was hoping to use it on his father, if he could find him…"

Raelin nodded, listening intently, "And?"

"There's not really an 'and', Raelin, dear," Julia shrugged, "I don't think there was ever a chance to test it on another, and even if there was…there was no guarantee of success…"

Lysander sighed and thanked Miss Ingledew for her help, even though he felt like she hadn't helped at all, "Well, we'll have to find Charlie and Emma then. Oh, and Olivia," he turned to Raelin, "shall we go?"

"I guess, since there's nothing more to ask," Raelin said with care, "Thank you Miss Ingledew."

And then, they took their leave. A small sparrow followed them eagerly, then became Emma. She ran up to them from behind, grabbing Lysander's shoulder hurriedly,"Lysander! Where's Terra? I just ran into Asa and-"

But Lysander interruppted her soundly, "She's in trouble, Em. Just come with us and we'll explain everything along the way."


End file.
